Dr Kiranjeet Singh and Dr Aswathy Gopinathan, ICAR-IVRI, Division of Surgery, have developed protocols For the use of bio-materials for the surgical reconstruction of corneal defects. Porcine small intestine sub-mucosa and cornea; and caprine amniotic membrane have been processed to make them a cellular and less immunogenic. After proper sterilization and experimental trials, these bio-materials were successfully used to repair comeal defects in different clinical cases.

A special meeting on 'Promotion of pulses in NEH region' was organized jointly by Indian Institute of Pulses Research and the university in association with ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Umiam (Meghalaya) during 28-29 Sept. 2015.
The meeting was attended by 40 participants including the policy-makers, scientists and extension functionaries from ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur; ICAR-NEH Research Complex, Umiam and its sub-centres from different states of North East Region as well as State Agriculture Departments of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur.
Dr N.P. Singh, Director, ICAR-IIPR, Kanpur, chaired the inaugural session, Co chaired By Dr S.V. Ngachan, Director, ICAR-RC for NEH, Umiam. Prof M. Premjit Singh, VC, was the chief guest. Dr D.P. Malik, Additional Commissioner (Crops), DAC; and Prof J.M. Laishram, Dean, College of Agriculture, Imphal, were the guests of honours at the function. Dr C.S. Praharaj, P.S. and Nodal Officer (NEH); and Dr K. Noren Singh, Deputy Director of Research, were the convener of the inaugural function
Prof M. Premjit Singh, VC, informed that there will be six new colleges in addition To the existing seven colleges and six multi-technology testing centres along with six vocational training centres across the North-Eastern Hills region under the area jurisdiction of the university. These would provide better manpower and infrastructure along with better testing and training centres. After thorough presentation and discussion an action plan was formulated for2015-16, based on the following three major programmes:
1.Evaluation of pulse varieties on genotypes to identify location specific and suitably adapted ones.
2.Up-scaling of seed multiplication project to identify suitably adapted varieties of pulse crop
3.Collection of landraces and their evaluation along with nutritional profiling

Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, visited the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Pasighat on 21 Aug. 2015 along with other local public representatives. He applauded the efforts of the college and the KVK, (East Siang Pasighat), for upliftment of agricultural and socio-economic condition of the farmers. Shri Rijiju released a technical bulletin on Integrated disease management, and inaugurated Post graduate girls hostel in the Campus.

20, 21,22 and 23; Pant Cowpea 5;Pant Rai 21, Pant Hill Ioria1,Pant Shweta and Pant Toria 508 of mustard; UPO 06-1 oat; and Pant Hybrid Maize 2and 4.The old varieties had become susceptible to various diseases and pests, resulting in decrease In their production potential. These new varieties will replace the old ones and will help in increasing the production. Out of 28 varieties, 10are of pulses, which will greatly help in filling the gap existing in their demand and production

A new breed of goat 'Panija', developed by Department of Livestock Product Management, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, was registered by Breed Registration Committee of ICAR, New Delhi. This breed is native of tarai region of Utarakhand.

The Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology of the university, organized the 28th national-level course on "Handson training in specialized procedures in veterinary anaesthesia and surgery" during 10-30 Sept. 2015, sponsored by the ICAR. From 13 states of India, 20 scientists/teachers attended the training. It covered the aspects of diagnostic imaging, anaesthesia and surgery in various species of animals like cattle, buffalo, horse, dog and cat. The department has advanced facilities like lens implantation for cataract in dogs, 3D/4D ultrasound, dentistry, laparoscopic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, colic surgery and world-class anaesthesia equipment. The training module was meticulously planned, covering 60 lectures and practical demonstrations by experts from Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujaratand UtlarPradesh.

The university scientists developed .milk-chiller that works even during the power cuts al the time of milking. would help in reducing the hassle faced by the small dairy farmers while taking their milk to the collection centres in the evening. The machine was designed and developed by Dr Amandeep Sharma, Assistant Professor, Dairy Engineering, College of Dairy Science and Technology, under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana project. The farmers have to take their milk to the milk-collection centres and visit such centres twice a day. Under the new norms of Food Safety and Standards Act, the milk has to be chilled To 40C immediately after milking. The developed prototype is of 40 litres capacity, but the machine can be conveniently manufactured for higher capacities. The performance evaluation has shown that the milk can be chilled to 4°C within 2hr and then the temperature can be maintained for about 12 hr.

A meet of Coconut farmers and Entrepreneurs was held at the university on 12 Sept. 2015. It laid stress on the need to augment quality coconut seedling production and value addition to realize the potential of coconut in Gujarat. The meet was organized By Coconut Development Board in association with the university and the DAC, Government of Gujarat. Shri Mohanbhai Kundariya, Union Minister of the State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of India, inaugurated the programme. He stated that the annual turnover of coconut industry in India is 20,000 crores, and the export is worth Rs 2,600 crores. Gujarat is not producing much coconut products except tender coconuts. Therefore the farmers should learn value-addition practices promoted by Coconut Development Board. Shri Rajeshbhai Chudasmaji, Member of Parliament, Junagadh, in his presidential address called upon the CDB to extend necessary support for achieving better coconut productivity in the state. Shri Jasabhai Barad, Minister of State for Agriculture, Government of Gujarat, said that he would request the central government to increase the assistance from Rs 6,500 per ha that the farmers are getting for sowing horticultural crops. Shri lK. Jose, (lAS), Chairman, Coconut Development Board, in his keynote address said that Gujarat is sixth in terms of area under coconut in the country and seventh in production.

• Fish-vending table for fisher women:
  

  Fish-vending table
  An"environment friendly", hygienic, and easy-to-operate Fish-vending table for fisher women was designed and fabricated at College of Fisheries, Mangaluru, for sale Of fresh fish. Its patent is pending (designed by Dr C.v. Raju, Professor).

Maj. Gen. (Dr) Shri Kant, VC, and Dr Ravindra Sharma, Director of Research, were invited by DG, DIE to participate in Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction, held during 30 Jun. 2015 to2 Jul. 2015 in Paris (France). This conference was organized jointly by DIE, FAD and WHO. In the conference more than 300 delegates from 90 countries participated, eminent persons among them being Bonnie Jenkin, US State Department; Elizabeth Cameron, Director, Countering Biological Threats, National Security Council, the USA; A Felicity Harvey, DG, Department of Health, the U.K.; Dr Bernard Vallat, DG, World Organization for Animal Health (DIE); and Dr Juan Lubroth, Chief Veterinary Officer, FAO.
The main objective of this conference was to build co-operation for efficient security systems worldwide, to strengthen links between the health and security communities by engaging key partners in public health, animal health and security sector.
Only the university officers with rich experience and experts were invited to represent the Veterinary or Agriculture universities in this global conference. Maj. Gen. Shri Kant and Dr Ravindra Sharma actively participated in the deliberations. Dr Shri Kant presented Lord Ganesha memento to Dr Bernard Vallat, DG, DIE, and the university mementoes to other Dignitaries.

The university signed the first international MoU with Pirbright Institute, the U.K., the world's premier institute that works on preventing and controlling animal diseases. It was signed by Maj. Gen. (Dr) Shri Kant, VC, and Prof John Fazakerley, Director, Pirbright Institute on 28Aug. 2015. Those present on the occasion were Dr Ravindra Sharma, Dr Narender Maan and Dr Sushila Maan of the university and Prof Bryan Charleston, Prof Peter Mertens, and Prof Satya Parida of Pirbright Institute, the UK. The MoU endeavours to facilitate the exchange of visiting professors, scientists and students on in formal or professional visits. By cementing links between these organizations it will be possible to establish a mutually beneficial relationship, to exchange knowledge, technology and reagents, with the goal of intensifying collaborative research and attracting additional funding through joint grant applications.

varieties/F1 hybrids of 60 crops, 1,250 crop-production technologies, and 120 different types off arm implements and machineries. He also briefed about the extension education activities of the university. He said that a Farmer first' project has been sanctioned to the university under RKVY.
Dr RP. Singh, Executive Secretary, IAUA, in his introductory remarks highlighted the theme of the symposium. He said that innovations are needed for supporting agriculture. There should be maximum utilization of solar energy for agricultural work. Out of- Box thinking or new thoughts are highly essential in the agricultural sector. He laid emphasis on low-volume and high-value crops. He cited the example of earthquake devastation in Bhuj area of Gujarat state, where the farmers have come up with fruit crops like cashewnut, desert apple and olive plantation etc.
Prof M.C. Varshneya, Senior Vice-President, IAUA, & VC, KU, Gandhinagar, delivered the presidential address. He said that 66% of the population still lives in rural area and 52% of them are dependent on agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood. Considering this, he highlighted the need of agriculture subject in primary education. Autonomy is essential for the SAUs, and the VCs should be empowered to fill up the posts on priority. Further, he narrated his experiences of Anand Agriculture University, Anand. The MU activities like Soil-health cards, organization Of Krushi Rath Yatra, district-wise rainfall calendar with advisory services have been expanded throughout the country.
Dr S.N. Puri, former VC, CAU, Imphal &MPKV, Rahuri, was the chief guest. In his inaugural address, he said that India accounts for only 2.4% of the world's geographical area and, 4% of its water resources, but has to support about 17% of the world human population. Inspite of the record food grain production of262 Million tonnes, there are several challenges before us. In animal husbandry he felt that cattle-feed is a Bottleneck for expansion of dairy business. Thus, sufficient availability of quality seed Off odder crops is greatly required for improvement of dairy sector.
At the end Dr K.D. Kokate, Director Extension Education, & Convener of IAUA National Symposium proposed the vote of thanks to the participating delegates. The valedictory session was held under the chairmanship of Dr K.M. Bujarbaruah, VC, MU, Jorhat; Co-Chairman Dr lA More, VC; Dr K.D. Kokate, Convener; Director of Extension Education; and Dr RP. Singh, Executive Secretary, IAUA.

The university celebrated its 54th Foundation day on 24 Aug. 2015. Prof Manoranjan Kar, VC, chaired the meeting. Sj Pradeep Maharathy, Pro Chancellor & Minister of Agriculture,Fisheries and Animal Resources .Development, Government of Odisha, was the chief guest. Sj Rajesh Verma, Principal Secretary to Government,Department of Agriculture; Sj Bishnupada Sethi, Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, Department of Fisheries and Animal Resource Development, attended the function as the guests of honour. Prof S.K. Rout, Dean (Extension Education), welcomed the guests, invitees, teachers, staff, students and farmers to the meeting, whereas Mr Wiliiam Bilung, lAS, Registrar, offered the vote of thanks.

The Directorate of Extension Education organized Skill Development Training for Rural Youths on "Mushroom production and value addition" during 6 Aug. -4 Sept. 2015. There were 36 participants from all over the State.

The Biotechnology Section, Central Instrumentation Laboratory ,has customized a differential staining technique for estimating zinc and

• There was increase in rice
  

  Demonstration of mechanized
  rice transplant
  productivity in Malnad and hilly areas through large-scale mechanized paddy demonstrations during Jul. 2015. Total area covered under this programme was 200 acres in six taluks of Shivamogga district.
  

  Release of book Baduka besaya
• In view of the farmers' suicide due to various reasons, the following Farmers awareness programmes were organized by the university during Jul. and Aug. 2015.
  • Programme on strengthening of mental attitude
  • Farmers' counselling
  • Release of book Baduku Besaya, published by Department of Information and distributed it to the farmer.
  • Mobile advisory services to farmers through 'Farmers' Portal'.

For educating the farmers regarding improved seed varieties, cultivation practices and for information, Rabi seed day 2015 was organized at Seed unit of the university on 28 Sept. 2015. An interaction session between farmers and subject-matter specialists was also organized, in which 200 farmers participated. Dr B.v. Patil, former VC and Director of Education, inaugurated the programme. He highlighted the recent technologies developed by the university in use of quality seeds and management of crops.

An interaction programme on "Role of constitution and law in control of farmers' suicide" was organized jointly by Raitha Hitha Rakshana Vedike and College of Agriculture, Bheemarayanagudi on 13 Sept. 2015. Shri Sanjeev Kumar Hanchate, Principal Session Court Judge, Bidar, inaugurated it.He stressed upon the scope of law and regulations in mitigating the farmers' suicide. Chief guests Shri Devaraja, Judge, JMFC, Surapur; Shri Benal, Judge, JMFC, Shahapur; Shri Baskar Rao Mudabul; and Dr K.S. Sharma were present. Dr Suresh S.Patil, Dean (Agri.) presided the programme.

H.E. Shri Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra, inaugurated Centre for Excellence for Kesar Mango, on 21 Sept. 2015. Shri Haribhau Bagade, Speaker, State Legislative Assembly, Maharashtra, presided over the function. Shri Eknathraoji Khadse, Minister for Agriculture and Horticulture; Prof Ram Shinde, State Minister for Agriculture and Horticulture; Shri Dilip Kamble, State Minister for Social Justice; Dr B. Venkateswarlu, VC; Mr Devid Akov, Counsel General, Israel; Mr Dan A1uf, Counsellor, Israel; and Dr Umakant Dangat, Commissioner, Aurangabad division; graced the function.
On this occasion Shri Vidyasagar Rao, stressed the need for transfer of technology on fruit production, storage and transport to the farming community. He also paid a visit to high-tech nursery of the centre. This Indo-Israel collaborative project was sanctioned under NHM at Himayatbagh, Aurangabad. The programme was organized jointly by the university and Maharashtra State Horticultural and Medicinal Plant Board, Pune.

and Award Ceremony of ICAR held at Patna. These scientists were awarded for their significant research achievements pertaining to bio ecology and management of Lepidiota mansueta, the menacing white grub pest with a biennial life cycle, in the world's largest river island, Majuli, Assam. Dr Sanjeev Kumar Balyan and Shri Mohan Bhai Kundariya, Union Ministers of State for Agriculture, presented the award to both the scientists.

The KVK, Nalbari functioning under the university, received Best Zonal KVK Award-2014 (Zone III). Dr M. Deka, Programme Coordinator of the KVK, received the award from Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture during the 9th National KVK Conference held at Patna on 26Jul. 2015.

Pantvarsity was honored with Best Centre Award of 'Network Project on Organic Farming for2015'. The award was given during the tenth annual group meeting of the network project, held at MPUAT, Udaipur, during 19-21 Aug. 2015. The university got this award for the excellent work done on organic farming and for developing packages and practices of five crops of Basmati rice-based cropping system. This network project, sponsored by the ICAR, is in progress in 20 centres in different states. The council instituted this award in 2015 and Pantvarsity is the first recipient of this award.

Two Pantvarsity students, Mohammad S.Anwar and Shri Uma M. Singh, of College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, were honored with Governor's Award for best research publication, among the universities of Uttarakhand.H.E. Dr Krishan Kant Paul, Governor of Uttarakhand, presented the award on 24 Sept. 2015 at Dehradun. Mohd. S.Anwar received the first award for his research paper 'Responses of indigenously developed bacterial consortia in progressive degradation of polyvinyl chloride', published in international journal Protoplasma, which was co-authored by other scientists of the department of Microbiology. The research paper of Shri Uma M. Singh entitled 'Transcriptome vide identification and validation of calcium sensor gene family in the developing spike of finger millet genotype for elucidating its role ingrain calcium accumulation' was published in international journal PLOS one In 2014, co-authored by other members of the research group.

Dr Deep Chandra Suyal, student of Department of Microbiology ofCollege of Basic Sciences and Humanities, received Young Scientist Award from Department of Science and Technology of Government of India. Under this award Dr Suyal will work in Department of Technology on the project submitted by him, with financial help from DST.

Mr Ashwani Kumar, Ph.D. student, Department of Food Science & Technology, was awarded Dry land Cereals Scholarship, administered by Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions, Bangkok (Thailand) and funded by Consortium Group of International Agricultural Research. This scholarship aims to facilitate core competencies and knowledge of the bulding scientists in advanced science and technologies related to productivity and quality improvement, post-harvest processing, value addition and policy interventions in in dry land cereals. Mr Ashwani Kumar will receive US$ 10,000/-, spread over a period of 2 years, to carry out research on the topic "Development of synbiotic drinks from finger millet and oats".
Ms Shikha Shanna and Mr Ilran Khan, Ph.D. scholars of Department of Plant Pathology, presented research papers in the "XVIII International Plant Protection Congress (IPCC)", held at Beriin (Gernmany), during 24-27 Aug. 2015.

The university also coveted Agricultural Leadership Award. SM Raj Nath Singh, Union Home Minister, presented the award on 18 Sept. 2015, in a ceremony held at New Delhi. H.E. Shri Kepten Singh Solanki, Governor of Punjab and Haryana; and Dr M.S. Swaminathan, eminent agricultural scientist; also attended the function. As an indicator of quality research, the PAU has been ranked first among the agricultural universities in 2014 for research publications as per the database of Indian Citation Index. The university, with its high impact academic programmes, has set even higher standards in academics at national level.
Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, VC, received the award on behalf of the university, and graciously acknowledged the important role played by all the personnel engaged in leaching, research and extension programmes all the university.

Dr Samanpreet Ahuja, Assistant Research Engineer (Soil and Water Engineering), won 'Jawaharlal Nehru Award' of the ICAR, for her outstanding doctoral this is research on natural resource management. The award was best owed upon Dr Ahuja during the 87th Foundation Day celebration of the ICAR, held on 25Jul. 2015 at Patna. The topic of her research was 'Modeling the impact of climate change on groundwater resources in central Punjab". The study was conducled under the guidance of Dr K.G. Singh and Dr P.P.S. Lubana, experis of soil and water engineering. Dr Ahuja has developed a methodology for assessing the impact of climate change on crop yield and water in agriculture by interlinking climate, sellwater- vegetation and groundwater models.

In pursuance of its incredible R&D contributions, Castor-Mustard Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar, was adjudged the best among 44 AICRP centres spread over 18stales for the year 2014-15. The award and trophy for the feat was given by Dr J.S. Sandhu, DDG (CS) ICAR, New Delhi, at the 22nd Annual Group Meeting of Rapeseed-Mustard Research Workers, held at SIAM, Durgapura, Jaipur (Rajasthan) on 3 Aug. 2015.